Boycotts - Why They Don't Work

Why are demographics important?

The reason is pretty easy to understand when you look at the numbers close. Let's take the so called important 25 – 54 demographics and look at this block carefully.

This demographic is generally the working class of America in that between those ages, most Americans are working. In addition, this block spends the most. If you’re younger then that, then you don’t have the money to spend and if you’re older then that, you may not want to spend as you are looking forward to retirement.

Companies look careful at these TV demographic blocks when they buy advertising time on television. That is why you will continue to see beer commercials on ESPN and beauty products on WE Network.

Therefore, if you’re a business that is trying to target the money earners and spenders, then you want to target this demographic as long as you're in the business of making money. So, I always find it strange when someone suggests that we should boycott a TV or radio sponsor (companies that pay for television advertisement) because they do not like what the program is.

Now for a universal truth… let’s face it folks, companies are in the business of making money. That’s the only way they survive. They will not stop giving advertisement dollars and sponsoring a TV program until it does not make cense (pun intended) to do so.

The only way to stop a TV show from being on is to stop watching it. This serves two points… The first is that you will not watch it and it will not bother you. Second, soon thereafter, the ratings will come in and the big companies’ executives will sit in a big room and decide if it makes sense for them to continue to pay for advertisement space on that program, since most of their demographic is not watching that show.

If you type into the Google search field “boycott company” you will get something in the neighborhood of 3,760,000 hits. Then just look at the demand to boycott this company or that company because someone does not like what someone has done or said, is mind-boggling.

The latest recipient of the boycott the companies because they spend ad money has been advertisers of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. The organization ColorOfChange.org stated that they have over 80 companies that have boycotted Glenn Beck. Google "boycott Rush Limbaugh" and you will see that this has been tried for almost 20 years. People on the right are even trying this with boycott Keith Olbermann websites.

As I said, the only way to get rid of someone is to stop watching and stop listening to them. If you haven’t seen this before, this site has the ratings for the aforementioned important 25 – 54 demographic and what cable news channel they are watching. While Talkers Magazine has listed that, The Rush Limbaugh Show has over 15 million listeners and is number one.

Let's face it folks, people like to watch and listen to these people and that is why companies will continue to throw advertising dollars at them. If you get someone to stop sponsoring a program, someone else will just step into their spot.